SALEM, Mass. (Dec. 29) – Led by 21 points from Samantha Szkotak and an all-around hot-shooting night, the SUNY Oneonta women's basketball team defeated Nichols, 68-57, in the opening round of the Salem State Christmas Tournament Tuesday afternoon. The Red Dragons draw even on the season at 4-4, while the Bison saw its four-game win streak snapped and dips to 5-3 on the year.

Szkotak led Oneonta's 50% shooting effort and was joined in double digits by Madison Slagle, who posted 16 points off the bench, recording the bulk of the Red Dragons' 26 bench points on the night.

Junior guard Ashley Robidoux (Milford, Mass.) paced Nichols with 16 points, while junior forward Jessica Nelson (North Providence, R.I.) added 14 and seven rebounds.

Oneonta used a 12-3 run midway through the first half to assert the lead and led by as many as 15 with just over five minutes in the opening frame before a three-pointer from Alena Jasinski (Canton, Conn.) sparked an 8-2 run by the Bison to cut the deficit to single digits, 23-32. Jasinski hit two of three treys on the night.

The Red Dragons held on to make their 10-point halftime lead (34-24) stand despite the Bison cutting their advantage to four on an 8-0 run midway through the second half. Five minutes later, however, Szkotak nailed a pair of free throws that put Oneonta back in the driver's seat with a 53-41 lead in hand.

Nichols forced 21 turnovers, led by four steals from Chelsea Shaughnessy (Halifax, Mass.), and converted the Red Dragons' errors into 25 points.

Oneonta pulled down 35 rebounds, including 27 on the defensive glass; Nichols nabbed 28 boards.

The Bison will face either Hiram College or host Salem State on Wednesday at 1 p.m. before traveling to Becker Saturday for a 1 p.m. game. 

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